iptek8: January 2013

How to Find Gay-Friendly Activities in Palm Springs, California

Palm Springs is a blissful destination for relaxation. The gay-friendly quotient is high here, with plenty of gay-friendly resorts, restaurants and events. Discover gay-friendly activities in Palm Springs.

Instructions

Search online. Enter keywords such as "gay-friendly Palm Springs" or "gay travel Palm Springs."

Check out the LGBT guide issued by Palm Springs Bureau of Tourism. Check out local magazines like the Weekly Desert Daily Guide, Palm Springs Life and Bottom Line Magazine. (see Resources below).

Consider events such as the Palm Springs International Film Festival, the Lesbian Book Festival, and White Party Spring Break.

Don't miss the city's Gay Pride Festival.

Visit personal Web sites and blogs of local Palm Springs residents. Ask for suggestions about gay-friendly clubs, bars, restaurants and neighborhoods.

Seek the advice of your hotel concierge. They should be able to provide suggestions about gay-friendly activities in Palm Springs.

How to Use Google Adwords Keyword Tool - Step by Step Guide

Creating a beautiful design and compelling content is only part of making your website a success. Your site also needs to have a healthy amount of visitor traffic on a regular basis. Whether you run an e-commerce website or a personal blog, the Google AdWords pay-per-click advertising platform can help grow your website traffic. Use the AdWords Keyword Tool to select keywords that are likely to be most profitable in your AdWords campaign and to get keyword ideas that you may have overlooked.

Instructions

Log in to your AdWords account. Click on the Tools and Analysis drop-down menu located at the top of the AdWords screen and select Keyword Tool.

Enter a search term related to your campaign into the Word or Phrase field. If entering multiple search terms at once, put each word or phrase on a new line.

Enter a website URL, for example www.shoes.com (without quotation marks) into the Website field, instead of or in addition to entering search terms into the Word or Phrase field. Completing only the Website field will produce a list of suggested keywords based on the content of the website you entered. Completing both the Website and Word or Phrase fields will yield data both for the terms you entered and suggested keywords based on the websites content.

Type a category, for example "shoes" (without quotation marks), into the Category field. The tool will display suggested categories as you type. Click on a suggested category to add it.

Select the check box labeled Only Show Ideas Closely Related to My Search Terms if you only want to see results that contain the original search terms you entered. This setting is optional; leaving the check box unselected will show results from all categories.

Click on Advanced Options and Filters to expand a menu that allows you to narrow down the keyword results. Select geographical areas and languages from the Locations and Languages menu to see search data for those demographics only. Select the desired type of device, e.g. Desktop and Laptop Devices, from the Show Ideas and Statistics For menu to see search data for those devices only.

Click Search. AdWords will display suggested search terms and phrases within the Keyword Ideas tab.

Look at the data appearing in the Competition, Global Monthly Searches and Local Monthly Searches columns alongside each keyword in the list of results. Competition gives an idea of how many other Google AdWords advertisers are bidding on a keyword. If choosing between two keywords to use in your campaign, choose the one for which the Competition column says Low or Medium as opposed to High.

Global Monthly Searches represents how often people all over the world searched for a given keyword while Local Monthly Searches represents searches in the locations, language, and devices that you specified. If choosing between two keywords, choose the one with the higher search volume.

The Local Monthly Searches column will show a dash if you specified multiple locations, a location that is not a country or if AdWords cannot provide data for a particular search combination.

How to Apply for an FDA Job

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ensures the safety of food and medicine in the United States and disseminates accurate, useful information about food- and drug-related topics to the American public. The FDA seeks people to fill scientist, consumer safety technician and administrative positions. Locate available FDA jobs on the USAJOBS website and apply for the positions online.

Instructions

Navigate to the USAJOBS homepage (see Resources). Click on the "First Time Visitors" link located below the search box and click on "Create an Account." Complete the required information (indicated by a star) and click on the button at the bottom of the page marked "Create My Account." Your USAJOBS account is linked to your email account, so you must have a valid email address to complete this step.

Click on the "My Account" link on the upper left side of the screen. Upload an existing resume or use the USAJOBS resume builder to create one. You can also upload cover letters, transcripts or other documents and store them in your USAJOBS account, but these items are not necessary to apply for all jobs. You must have a resume to apply for any FDA job.

Navigate to the "Search Jobs" page for FDA jobs, a subsection of the USAJOBS website (see Resources).

Enter keywords, series numbers, an occupational series or locations to limit your search, or leave everything open to see all available FDA jobs. Respond yes or no to the applicant eligibility question and click the "Search for Jobs" button at the bottom of the page to view your results.

Click on the title of the FDA job for which you are interested in applying to access the overview section of the listing. Click on the "Apply Online" button on the right side of the screen.

Select the stored resume you would like to submit, check the box certifying that the information is accurate to the best of your knowledge and click the "Apply for This Position Now!" button.

How to Insert Clipart in Powerpoint

When you create a PowerPoint presentation, there are many things you can add to your slides to make them more visually appealing. For example, you can change the background of a slide or you can insert clip art. If you want to insert clip art on your PowerPoint slide, it takes only a few clicks of the mouse to do so.

Instructions

Open PowerPoint and select the slide you want to insert clip art into.

Click the "Insert" tab located in the PowerPoint ribbon at the top of the page. You can insert many items on a presentation here, including sound clips, word art, and clip art.

Look to the "Illustrations" section of the ribbon and click the "Clip Art" button. The "Clip Art" dialog box will open.

Enter keywords for the type of clip art you want to insert in the box under "Search for."

Choose where you want to search for the clip art by clicking the arrow next to the "Search in" box and selecting one of the options. For example, you can click "Web Collections" to search for clip art in Microsoft's online collection.

Click the arrow next to "Results should be" to specify which media types you want to view in your search. If you want to view only clip art images, click "Clip Art."

Click "Go" to begin the search. The results will appear in the "Clip Art" dialog box.

Double-click one of the clip art results to insert it on your PowerPoint slide.

How to Insert a Footnote in Microsoft Word 2007

College papers, technical manuals and historical papers often include footnotes, which can be used to denote the source of a statement or provide further explanation without crowding the original text. You can add footnotes to documents produced in Microsoft Word 2007. The footnotes appear just as they do in printed text: a superscript number with the referenced footnote at the page's bottom.

Instructions

Select the part of your document that requires the footnote. Do this by holding down the left-click button and dragging it across the word or phrase.

Click the "References" tab in the upper bar (referred to as the Ribbon) of your Word document. Locate the "Footnotes" tab, which is defaulted to the second tab from the left.

Click the "Insert Footnote" button. This takes you to the bottom of a document's page with a blinking cursor and the footnote number. Type your footnote here.

Right-click and select "Go to Footnote", which will bring you to your original footnote location. If you let your cursor hover over the superscript number, you will see the note hover in a small text box.

How to Order Pizza Online

With so much to do online, why use 'old-fashioned' methods such as phones to place an order for pizza? Here's how you can order pizza online.

Instructions

Go online and visit your favorite search engine such as Google or Yahoo!.

Search for your favorite pizzeria by entering its name in the search box. Alternatively, search for other pizzerias in your neighborhood by typing the name of your location along with the keyword 'pizza' or 'pizzeria'.

View the results displayed and visit some of the Web sites. Some of the biggest pizza chains such as Pizza Hut and Domino's offer the option of ordering online in the United States.

Check out the online menus and decide upon your preferred pizza restaurant. Ensure that your preferred restaurant accepts online orders.

Enter information such as your name, phone number, street address, email address, username and password.

Choose the pizza of your choice, toppings, side dishes and drinks from the menu.

Check out and confirm your payment options. Payment options are determined by the pizza restaurant and can be cash, credit card or checks.

Confirm your order.

Print the confirmation page.

How to Use HTML in Unique Article Wizard

When creating articles by using the Unique Article Wizard, it can be useful to add Hypertext Markup Language to certain words or phrases to, for example, emphasize them or turn them into clickable links. Unique Article Wizard is a Web-based application that allows its members to submit articles to numerous article directories. You can add HTML code to your Unique Article Wizard articles by following a specific procedure.

Instructions

Launch your Internet browser and log in to your Unique Article Wizard account.

Open the "Submit article" tab.

Select a project and enter the author's name.

Type your article's body in the "Version1," "Version 2" and "Version 3" fields. You can add HTML code to any word or phrase by simply typing the HTML tags in the fields. For example, to add a hyperlink to a phrase, add the following tags:

Phrase or word

Substitute the actual URL for the sample given here.

Click on the "Submit" button.

How Can I Make a Merchant Website?

A merchant website, also referred to as an e-commerce or shopping cart website, allows you to accept multiple payment types from your website for merchandise or services you well. A merchant website is important to any business that sells items online. Creating a merchant website usually requires a third-party payment processor, such as PayPal or Google Checkout, to accurately, safely and easily process online payments.

Instructions

Sign up for a third-party payment processor, such as PayPal. Click "Business," followed by "Website Payments Standard" under "Products and Services." Click "Try It Now."

Fill in the required information for your payment button. If you are selling multiple options, choose the "shopping cart" function, otherwise, choose "Buy Now." Enter the other required fields, including the name of the product, price, shipping, tax and email address where payments will be sent. Click "Create Button."

Copy the HTML code for the new merchant button by highlighting the code with your mouse and holding down CTRL+C, or CMD+C on a Mac.

Open the raw HTML file for your website's merchant section. If you are using a website hosted by an online source, such as WordPress or Blogger, select the page where you want the shopping cart button to appear. Click the "HTML" view button in the top right. Paste the merchant code into the HTML file by holding down CTRL+V, or CMD+V.

If this is the first page of your website, paste the following starter HTML into a blank HTML document:

My Merchant Website

My Product

Paste your product code here by holding down CTRL+V for Windows, or CMD+V for Mac.

You can edit text outside of the HTML code.

Save the HTML file or page by selecting "Save" under "File," or by clicking the "Save" or "Update" button on your online editor. If you are using a raw HTML file from your computer, upload the updated file to your server. Open your FTP client, enter your username and password and drag and drop the updated file to the server. Drag the file by holding down the left mouse button on the file, dragging the file to the appropriate folder on the server, and releasing the left mouse button to drop the file.

Visit your site to test your new merchant website button. If you are satisfied with its functionality, verify your PayPal or other third-party account to begin withdrawing money made from your merchant website. Follow the steps in the email sent to the address you entered to fully activate your account.

How to Type the Cent Symbol on Your Computer

The dollar sign is readily available on a standard keyboard, but the cent sign is curiously absent. If you're typing up a financial document, you might need to insert a cent symbol. Just because the symbol isn't located directly on the keys doesn't mean it is not present in the system altogether. You can access a cent symbol using a special Alt Code. These codes let you type special characters, ranging from cute emoticons to practical mathematical symbols. If you use the right code, you can add the cent symbol to any document that supports Unicode text.

Instructions

Turn on the keyboard's Num Lock option. If you want to insert the symbol with the keyboard, you need an active 10-key numeric keypad.

Open the program where you want to use the cent symbol.

Click on a text field in the program. The place where the symbol will appear is indicated by a flashing vertical line.

Press and hold the Alt key.

Type 0162 using your computer's numeric keypad. You must use the numeric keypad, as the typed code does not work with the numbers near the keyboard's top row. After a second or two, the cent symbol appears on the screen. If it does not appear, then the program you are using does not support this special character.

How to Start Out As a Dancer in "Second Life"

Linden Lab's online game called "Second Life" brings millions of people around the world together. Every player creates a base avatar when signing up, but the appearance and destiny of the avatar remains unique to the player. If you want to create a dancer avatar, whether it is simply for fun or to earn money in "Second Life," then you need to know the right places to look for clubs and avatar appearance items.

Instructions

Visit Second Life's website, and click "Join" at the top right. Select an avatar, and enter a name that is easy to remember. Dancers must stand out in a crowd on "Second Life," so look up some famous dancers or names you like before picking a name.

Download the "Second Life" viewer to your desktop. Double-click the folder to install and launch. Enter your avatar's name and account password.

Wait for the viewer to connect. Once online, press "CTRL" and "F." Click the "Places" tab, and then enter "Sandbox" in the "Find" field. Click "Search." Select on any sandbox on the left and click "Teleport."

Navigate your browser to the Marketplace. Sign in with your avatar's name and account password. On the main page, look for "Show maturity levels." Click to set your preference to "General," "General, Moderate," "General, Moderate, Adult" or "Adult." You get the most results from search if you choose "General, Moderate, Adult."

Click in the search text box, and type "Free Dancer." On the left, click categories to filter down the results. Click "Apparel" to show only clothes. Click "Avatar Appearance" to show only shapes and skins. At any time, change your search field to a more specific keyword to search within the category, such as "Dresses" in "Apparel" or "tan skin" in "Avatar Appearance." When you see something you like for your dancer, click on the picture and then click "Buy Now" to send to your avatar in "Second Life."

Click on "Animations" on the left. Search for dances and animation overriders for your avatar with alluring or sensual characteristics. Dancers act as promoters, crowd entertainers and performers.

Click on your Second Life viewer to switch windows from your browser. Click "Accept" on all the objects sent from the Marketplace in the top right. These objects go into your inventory. Drag to the ground from your inventory, right-click, choose "Open" and then select "Copy to Inventory." Double-click in your inventory to wear your items. You should have an animation overrider, hair, skin, shape and an attractive dress.

Click "Edit" and select "Profile." Enter some information in your profile about your love of dance and other details about yourself. Include information about the type of music you like or people you want to meet.

Press the "ALT" key, and hold down the left button to move the camera around to look at your avatar. Click the "Snapshot" button on the button to take a picture of yourself in-world. Select "Save to Your Inventory" option and then click "Save." With your profile still open, drag the snapshot from your inventory to the profile box. You now show a picture of your dancer for others to see. Click "OK" to save the changes to your profile.

Press "CTRL" and "F" again. Click "Classifieds" to find a club that is hiring dancers. Type in keywords like "hiring dancers," "dancers needed," "dancers wanted" or just "dancers." You get a list of places hiring dancers in Second Life. Click on any places on the left, and read the advertisement for dancers on the right. For any ad you like, click "Teleport" on the right to go to the club.

Click on the "Application" sign once you teleport. Clubs hire different ways. New hires tend to find the application or club representative at the teleport point, where you landed after clicking "Teleport." Follow the instructions on the application notecard, and speak to the club's owner about the position if available.

Press "CTRL" and "F," and then click "Places." Type in "dance club" and click "Search." Click on any places that pop up on the left and then click "Teleport." Find a dancers' area with a dance pole or dance animator ball. Right-click and choose "Sit Here" to begin dancing. Some places allow you to dance without being hired, though you tend to not receive pay unless tipped by someone at the club. You can still be a dancer without being hired while you wait for a response.

Answer any notecards or IMs from the club manager after sending in your application. Go to the scheduled interview, and wear a dress to show off your avatar. Your interviewer most likely wants to know when you are available to dance. Give times you know that you can be online to help promote and dance at the club.

Teleport to the club often after being hired. Use the dancer-specified area to dance. Always greet customers and be friendly. If you bring regulars to the club, you might get a promotion or even a sign in the club with your picture.

How to Use Quotes in a Google Search for Better Results

When you need search results having the exact phrase that you enter in the Google search box, use the quotes operator. The quotes operator narrows down your search results to only those pages that contain the keyword as is. Here's how you can use quotes in your Google search.

Instructions

Go to the Google homepage.

Enter your keywords in the search box, within quotes, for example "major league baseball."

Click the Google search button or hit return. A list of pages with these exact words (and in the same order) will be displayed.

How to Tell if Work at Home Jobs Are Scams

For stay-at-home parents or anyone else who is homebound, the work-from-home job postings in the paper and online may seem like a perfect way to make extra money. However, many of these jobs are actually scams designed to make money from prospective employees. There are some legitimate jobs out there, but beware of any listings that claim you don't have to have any experience or that the job will pay a lot of money for a little work. If a work-at-home job seems too good to be true, it probably is.

Instructions

Scour the company's website and read all the fine print. Look for any mention that you'll have to pay any money to get the job, like a start-up fee or for supplies. Some companies will have you pay money at the beginning of the job but will never send you any supplies or any pay. Look for specific information about what you'll be doing. A company that is really looking for workers should up upfront about what kind of work there is.

Check out the company with the Better Business Bureau. On the BBB website, click "Check Out a Business" and enter the name of the company. From here you can view a report of the company and see complaints that other people have filed against the company. You can also view a grade that the BBB assigns from A+ to F depending on how reliable and legitimate the BBB considers each company. If the BBB doesn't have a listing of the company, this can be a sign that the company refused to give information to the BBB or has started up very recently. Both of these can be signs that the company is running a scam.

Do an online search for reviews of the company. Search for the company's name with keywords like "scam" or "reliable" to see what others have said about the company. If you see the same kinds of complaints coming up over and over again, it can be an indication of a problem.

Contact the company. Ask plenty of questions and get the answers in writing. "Entrepreneur" magazine suggests asking questions such as, what tasks will I do? How and when will I be paid? Who will pay me? You should also ask questions about the company's history and who you can contact if you encounter any problems while doing the job. If the person you speak with seems unwilling to give you answers or if he doesn't know the answers, it may not be a legitimate operation.

Before starting, consult an attorney if possible. You may also want to ask for the advice of a friend who has experience in business or working from home. Ask him to review the website and information you've received and see if there are any red flags. If he thinks the job seems reliable, you should be ready to begin work.

How to Enter Music Symbols in Word

You can add music symbols to a Microsoft Word document using the programs extensive symbol library. In this library, you will find various symbols for creating musical notation, including notes, instructional symbols and accents. You can use these symbols for a broad range of music-related tasks, from creating sheet music to composing and writing scores for various instruments. You can use these symbols in booklets, pamphlets, web pages and other types of documents created in Word.

Instructions

Open a document in Microsoft Word.

Click Insert and select Symbol. Click More Symbols if you are using Word 2007. The symbol menu will open.

Open the subset pull-down menu and select Block Elements. In this section, you will find various music symbols, including whole notes, single notes, double notes, clefs and accidentals (sharps and flats).

Open the subset pull-down menu and select Combining Diacritical Marks. In this section you will find various accent symbols, such as marcato, tenuto and staccato.

Open the subset pull-down menu and select General Punctuation. In this section you will find various instructional symbols, such as natural clef, rest, pause (caesura), crescendo, breath and cut time (alla breve).

Click on the music symbol you want to use and click Insert.

How to Increase the Search Standing of eBay Listings

eBay has changed its policies in recent months. These changes have lowered the search standing of many eBay sellers, even ones who have been providing exemplary service to their customers. This can be very frustrating, since if you did nothing to lower your search standing, it can seem impossible to get it raised again. You are not alone: There are many other small eBay sellers with high feedback, high DSRs and lowered search standing. The solution to this problem is to get listed on Google.

Instructions

Create a listing template with H1 and H2 headers at the top with some placeholder text. When you create your listing, place the title of your item and other descriptive terms in these headers. Also, be sure use relevant keywords in your listing, with high keyword density, and to bold important terms you think people may search on, such as the titles of items in a lot. Use this template in Turbo Lister 2 or the eBay "Sell Your Item" form to list your item on eBay.

List regularly. The more often you list items, the more active your eBay site seems to Google, and the higher you will be listed. Also be sure to check the Google AdWords Keyword Tool for relevant keywords for your item title. If everyone who's looking for your item is searching on "Sterling Silver Locket" and your competitors have omitted the word "Sterling," you will have an edge if you use the term. Make sure the term really describes your item before using it.

Blog. You get a free eBay blog with your eBay account. Take advantage of it to advertise your items for free. Also be sure to set up a MySpace and Blogger account and link your blogs there back to your eBay listings. The more often you blog, the more Google will like you.

Download and install the Google Base Store Connector if you have an eBay store. Click the "New Connection" tab within the interface. In the "I want to get items from:" field, select eBay.com. Under "How to connect to the source," enter your eBay username and password. Your information will not be shared with Google. It will only be used to download your eBay store listings to the Store Connector software.

Click "Copy items from my store." Then, when the download is complete, click the "Publish items to Google Base" button. Do this every time you list items in your eBay store.

Click the "Manage My Store" link in My eBay if you have an eBay store. Under Store Design, click "Search Engine Keywords." Open another tab in Internet Explorer and open the Google AdWords Keyword Tool. Search on terms that are relevant to the items in your store, and edit the keywords in your various store pages and categories based on the keywords that are getting more traffic. Make sure the keywords you are using are somewhere in the listings, to avoid keyword spamming.

How to Find Torrents to Download

Bit Torrent is a revolutionary file-sharing program that allows users to download shared files from users around the world. In order to do so users of Bit Torrent need to find files that are known as "torrents." Torrent files can include anything and can be found and downloaded in many different ways. Here's how to find torrents to download once you've installed Bit Torrent.

Instructions

Open your Bit Torrent program. You can download a program at a site like the one listed in Resources.

Click on the search bar that is located in the upper right-hand corner of the Bit Torrent window.

Enter keywords appropriate for what you're looking to download and then hit the search icon (represented by a magnifying glass). For instance, if you want to download a torrent of a particular band's music, type in that band's name and then click the search icon.

Search through the results that pop up and find the torrent you'd like to download. Once you've found it, click on that torrent.

Follow the instructions on the page that comes up to download the torrent file. The process will differ from site to site and can be completely different depending on the site in question. Many torrent files are very large and may take a long time to download. It's a good idea to start a torrent file downloading right before you go to bed and let it download while you sleep, or to start the download before you go to work and let it download while you're gone.

How to Find Free Clip Art Fast

Clip art images are pre-made illustrations designed for shared, not-for-profit or commercial project usage. Adding clip art to a project helps reduce or remove artwork production costs. Clip art can also save time when a deadline for a project approaches. Whether you're dealing with a last-minute deadline for a business presentation, a school project or a homemade birthday party banner, several methods exist to find clip art images fast.

Instructions

Open the word processing, publishing or design software that you're using, open the software's "Help" menu and then search for "clip art" to locate free clip art already included with the software.

Check to see if the manufacturer of the software that you're using, or other software manufacturers, offers free clip art online. Example: Microsoft offers free clip art through its Microsoft Office Images site and Avery Dennison offers free clip art in its Image Library.

Go to a clip art site sponsored by an education-related company, school system, university or library -- especially for not-for-project projects. For example, the Educational Technology Clearinghouse and Discovery Education offer thousands of free clip art images for students and teachers to use in projects.

Contact people related to the project topic and ask for assistance with finding clip art fast. For example, if the project is for a club, ask club members for help with finding clip art or clip art resources. If it involves a hobby, but not a club, ask people that you know that share the same interest, ask in online forums devoted to your hobby, or visit hobby websites you frequent and contact site owners.

Get clip art images from creative sharing art and image focused sites such as deviantART and The Stock Solution. To find free clip art on a site, enter a keyword search for "clip art" or "free clip art" or click any links that have "clip art" in the title.

How to Put Scrolling Text on Top of a Profile

Whether you are an HTML whiz or you simply want to add pizazz to your profile, many social networks and online profile websites allow users to add various graphics and effects to customize and personalize pages. Adding scrolling text to the top of your profile is simple to complete without expert knowledge in programming if the profile website allows custom coding.

Instructions

Open your computer's default Internet browser (such as Google Chrome, Firefox, or Internet Explorer) and visit the social networking website with your profile that you would like to edit.

Log in to the social network, and browse to the "Edit Profile" link once you're logged in and on your profile landing page.

Scroll to the first available slot to edit information and details within your profile to place your scrolling text.

Enter the scrolling marquee text HTML code into the section that allows custom text and HTML. A basic scrolling text code that will allow your text to appear at the top of your profile is "

Your Scrolling Text Here

Edit the variables within the marquee code to your preferences and liking by editing the position of the marquee pixel amount. Change the font color by adding an HTML-safe color, such as "black", "white", or "blue." Change the font family to a web-safe font such as "Verdana," "Tahoma," or "Georgia" along with the font size in pixels (which the default is currently set at 72 pixels). Change the marquee direction to fit the style of your page from right to left.

Change "Your Scrolling Text Here" to the actual text you would like the code to generate once you save the settings in your profile.

Scroll to the bottom of the social networking page (or where the "Save" buttons are available) and click to save your profile changes.

View your profile with the newly generated scrolling text, located at the top of your profile.

How to Find Work-at-Home Jobs Online

Working from home is an immensely popular trend. People are using this method to supplement their incomes, use spare time productively, promote a hobby or run a side business. Companies are also warming up to the idea of having manpower working from home. The Internet functions as a meeting place for job seekers and employers, and the ability to be online has further made it convenient to work from home.

Instructions

Go to popular search engines such as Yahoo!, Google or AOL and search for "work at home jobs" or use similar keywords. The search engines show several listings. Thoroughly explore all results listed on at least the first results page, which typically shows links best matching the search criteria.

Browse through the portals of the frequently-used search engines that have their own job portals, sections of which are dedicated to work-at-home opportunities. These offer a better chance of coming across more employers. Use their discussion forums to network and know related information.

Become a member of an online support group, many of which relate to work from home. This membership exposes you to the latest trends, events and opportunities in your field of choice.

Check out the possibilities on eBay if you have a flair for promoting goods and a great product to sell.

Search for organizations that are okay with some of their employees working from home. Send them your resume.

Look up Web sites of local staffing agencies, some of which may specialize in assisting you to find a work-at-home job.

Browse through popular job portals such as Dice, Monster and CareerBuilder, which usually have a special section on work-from-home jobs. Become a member to do personalized searches.

Use networking sites such as LinkedIn and MySpace to form a network of like-minded people. The more people you network with, the higher are the chances of you getting a good break.

How to Unblock Websites

Many schools and companies have cracked down on Internet usage. Sites that are labeled as "unnecessary" are frequently blocked and inaccessible by the user. However, it's very easy to unblock a website and regain access to it. Here are a few tips on how to do it.

Instructions

Determine which blocked websites you would like to gain access to.

Choose a website that features an "Unblock" tool to help you.

Enter the URL in the appropriate section on the website. Usually there will be a button to click that says "Unblock Me"--click it.

Attempt to gain entry onto the blocked website. If for some reason it didn't work, you may want to try another unblocking website.

Clear the Internet history.

How to Uninstall Conduit

Conduit allows Web publishers to design a toolbar specifically customized for their websites as well as create notifications and mobile applications. The multiple applications offered through Conduit allow website owners to personalize and distribute their sites to the online masses. When uninstalling Conduit, the Uninstall window allows users to remove one or more of these applications or the Conduit Engine. The uninstall process is different for Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox users. However, once a user reaches the Uninstall window, the process of removal is the same.

Instructions

Click the "Start" button on the taskbar.

Click the "Control Panel" option.

Click the "Uninstall a program" link in the Programs section.

Select "Conduit" from the list and click the "Uninstall" button. The Uninstall window will open allowing you to remove parts of Conduit.

Click the "Remove Conduit Engine and all your apps" radio button to remove Conduit in its entirety.

Click the "Remove" button.

Click "Tools" in the menu and select "Add-ons." The Add-ons Manager will open.

Select the "Extensions" tab.

Locate the Conduit extension and click the "Remove" button. The Uninstall window will open.

Yahoo Personal Search Tricks

Just as if you were answering a personal ad in the paper, you can search on Yahoo! Personals to meet people and connect romantically. To make a good match, it's helpful to know how to go about doing a good search, taking advantage of the site's filtered search, keyword search and Matches by Mail.

Begin your hunt for a mate by searching on Yahoo! Personals. Log onto your profile on the Personals home page. Click "Search" in the links on the upper-right corner. Click the "New Search" tab and enter the qualities you are looking for in a person. Here you can narrow it down by age and location, even adding criteria such as body type, ethnicity and education. Once you're satisfied with the search criteria, click "Find My Match." This way you don't have to spend hours poring through profiles that don't interest you.

If you want to make it even more automatic, click the one-click "We Match" or "I Match" links. These will pull information from your Personals profile to find matches. "We Match" will find profiles of people who meet your criteria and who are looking for someone with your qualities. "I Match" just pulls people who are looking for someone with your qualities.

Click the "Keyword Search" tab to search for profiles based on certain keywords in their profiles. For example, look for someone who loves dogs or regularly exercises. Just enter "exercise" or "dogs" in the search box. You can also specify basic criteria in addition to the keyword.

Instead of searching profiles for hours each day, you can have matches sent to you in your email. To set up Matches by Mail, create a saved search. This will save the criteria that you regularly search for. To do so, click the "Search" link and then the "New Search" tab. Click the "Add More Search Criteria" button and fill out the search form, specifying the criteria you want to save. At the bottom of the screen, under "Search Name," enter a name under which you can save the search. Click "Find Match." On a new screen, it will prompt you to confirm that you are saving the search. On the following screen, it will ask you if you want to set up Matches by Mail. Set up your email address and how often you want to receive the matches.

Update your Matches by Mail settings at any time by logging onto Yahoo! Personals and clicking the "Mailbox" link. Click "Mailbox Options" and choose "Matches by Mail." Change your options and click "Save Options."

How to Type Letters With Accents in Google Docs

Google Docs is an online interface allowing you to create spreadsheets, presentations and word processing documents. If you use a PC, you can type accents into Google Docs with Alt-key numeric codes. In this way, you can type any accent for Latin-based languages into your document.

Instructions

Open an existing document through Google Docs or create a new document.

Place the cursor in the location where you want the symbol and click on the space. A flashing line will appear.

Press the "Num Lock" button on your keyboard, if Num Lock is not already on.

Locate the Alt-key numeric code for the accented character you want to type (see Resources).

Hold down the Alt key and type the numbers indicated in the guide for the accented character. You must use the key pad, usually located on the right side of your keyboard.

Release the Alt key. Your accented character will appear in Google Docs.

How to Open a Business in Ottawa

Starting a business in Ottawa can be challenging, but there are resources available to help you succeed. The type of business you start will affect how you proceed with starting a business, but all businesses need to have the appropriate permits, licenses and registration. Ottawa has an online service called BizPal that will help you figure out where to start and what you need to get your business off the ground.

Instructions

Log on to the City of Ottawa's website and find the BizPal application. Click "Launch BizPal." BizPal is designed to help you register your business and get the appropriate licenses.

Click "Where will you operate your business" and fill in the required information. A screen will pop up asking you what type of business you will be operating. You can either search for keywords or browse the database. Most business types are listed here, but if yours isn't, you will have to contact the City of Ottawa for more information. Select your business and verify that the description of the business matches the type of business you are starting.

Fill in the questionnaire about your business. It may ask if you will be putting up signs, doing any construction or serving alcohol. Fill this in as accurately as possible to know what further steps need to be taken. Continue to fill out any information BizPal needs from you. This will help the program determine what kinds of licenses or permits you need.

Print the results that BizPal gives you. You will now have a list of the permits, licenses and registration information that you need to start your business. BizPal also gives you websites and contact information so you can get this done as efficiently as possible.

Prepare your business in any other way necessary. This will vary from business type to business type. You may need to hire staff, buy supplies, start advertising or rent a building or office. Once the legal aspects are fulfilled, you should be able to start your business as soon as you are ready.

How to Set Up Google to Alert You When Your Name is Mentioned Online

"Googling" someone's name is a popular pastime. Only in this modern age can we find our fifteen minutes of fame online or research a potential date before the big dinner. Google is one of the biggest search engines and by far most popular today. They make it easy for you to discover all the nooks and crannies of the Internet. If you are wondering if your name is "out there," do a simple search. If you want to keep up with possible new entries about yourself or someone else, it's simple to let Google do the work for you. Want an alert? Here's how.

Instructions

Go to Google.com.

Look at the top left side of the web page for the area that says "Web: Images, Maps, News, Shopping, Gmail, and More." Click on the "More" link.

From the drop-down menu select "Even more."

Click on the "Alerts" link at the top left of the page. A new page will open and on the right side of that page is a box for you to create a Google Alert.

Type in your name under "Search Terms" and select how often you want to be updated. Enter your email address and click "Create Alert."

You will receive an email from Google confirming your email address and setting your alert. Click on the confirmation link and you are all set.

How to Create a Web Page on a Mac

Computers running Mac OS X include a suite of applications called iLife. One of these applications, iWeb, allows users to create web pages using customizable templates, or "themes." Users can upload web pages created in iWeb directly to the FTP server for their web page using the "Site Publishing" feature. This feature also works for making updates to the web page. The basic approach to creating a web page in iWeb is the same whether you are making a basic home page or a blog.

Instructions

Select a template for your web page by going to the "File" menu in iWeb and highlighting "New Site." Navigate through the available themes and select a template and page style to match your requirements. Keep in mind that the templates are editable, so you will be able to change fonts, colors, pictures and placement.

Edit the text of the web page by clicking on individual text boxes. Erase existing text by pressing the "Delete" key and typing your text. To change the font of a text box, select the text with your cursor and click on the "Fonts" icon in the bottom of the screen. From the "Fonts" menu, you can select new fonts and change the style, color and size of the font.

Customize the images on the page using your own images. The iWeb templates contain placeholder images with masks. Masks are tools that crop an image. Apple includes specially designed masks in iWeb that suit the artistic feel of the template. To put your own images on the web page, you can drag and drop or copy and paste images from other applications. You may also access your iPhoto library from the menu in the upper right-hand corner of the window.

Make custom masks for images, if desired, by dropping an image on the web page. Go to the "Format" menu, select "Mask with Shape" and highlight the desired shape. Adjust the mask shape and placement in the "Edit Mask" feature that appears when you insert the mask. Close the editing feature by clicking "Edit Mask."

Add a movie or audio recording to your website using the "Audio" and "Movie" tabs in the menu in the upper right-hand corner of the window. You may also drag and drop files for other applications on the web page.

Publish your web page to an FTP server or save it to a folder on your computer by highlighting "Site" in the left side of the screen. Select your desired publishing method from the pull-down menu, enter the required information and press the "Publish" button on the bottom of the window.

Resume Tips for Google Quality Raters

Everyone has seen the ubiquitous ads along the side of a Google search page, or embedded in a blog, online magazine or newspaper. These ads are a large source of revenue for both Google and the third parties who allow these ads on their sites. In order for all involved to profit from this advertising system the ads need to be rated for quality. The job of a Google Quality Rater is a part-time, work-from-home position. The job requires you to work 10 to 20 hours per week on a self-directed schedule. To apply, you'll need a resume with certain skills and experience highlighted.

A resume profile includes highlights of your skills and experiences. This is a good place to insert keywords, as many companies use auto-screeners to look for these key terms. List any knowledge you have in the area of Web development or Web writing. Use phrases such as "analyzing text," "Web pages," "images," "English Web culture" and "media." You will also need excellent written communication skills to be a quality rater, so be sure to include related information here.

List your jobs in descending chronological order, starting with your most recent position. While you do not necessarily need experience in advertising or Web development, any experience that tilts in that direction should be highlighted. List any professional writing or editing you have done. Again, Google is most interested in people who are Web-culture savvy, so if you have done any Web-related work at all, be sure to lead with this in the job description.

Google requires a BA/BS degree or equivalent experience and fluency in English. The degree does not need to be in Web technology or a writing-related field. Google is most interested in people who are intelligent and reliable. List your degree and your GPA, if it is higher than a 3.0. If you took any courses that directly relate to this kind of work, list them as bullet points under the degree name.

Keep the resume simple and to the point. Google uses third-party temp agencies such as WorkforceLogic for hiring purposes. As these companies will be hiring for a variety of positions, be sure that your resume is clear, free from fancy formatting, and includes as many of the keywords listed above as possible.

How to Increase Website Traffic Using Forum Posting

Generating traffic is one of the most difficult challenges for a website owner. Without a constant stream of visitors, a website will have no chance of making money and all the hard work and resources that went into its development will be wasted. Website forum posting is an effective, inexpensive and easy to implement strategy that can help generate hits. Essentially, website forums are discussion groups based on a particular subject. Finding forums that complement your website will allow you to assimilate into an established communities and let others know of your online presence. Here are some helpful guidelines.

Instructions

Find forums that closely match the subject of your website. Aim for several forums so that you can maximize the effectiveness of this traffic generating tactic.

Once you have signed up to some forums, it is time to get your signature in place. Your signature is simply the message that will appear below each posting that you post on the forums and will allow you to include your website URL or a hyperlink using other words to inspire action. For instance, let's say your website sells cat toys. Your signature may include your name along with the line "Click here for the web's best selection on low priced cat toys," which could be a hyperlink allowing folks to click that sentence and go directly to your website. It is key that you experiment with a variety of signatures on postings to find which one attracts the most people to click and visit your website.

Now that you have your profile and signature in place, it is time to begin posting on the forums. Post messages that add value to other people. Many folks on the forums will be looking for answers to questions and with your specific knowledge, helping them out is the greatest way to earn their respect and eventually their interest in the product or service that you are trying to sell. It is a huge mistake to begin posting messages and urging people to click to your website. People will assume that selling your product is more important than building a relationship with them and they will not visit your website. Instead, work to befriend other people and get to know the members of the different forums. Find out ways in which you can help. Feel free to ask questions, but not those that simply encourage people to visit your website. Your interest and activity on the site will generate traffic over time and this traffic can be significant if you follow the protocols listed above.

Become active in the threads in which you post. It is a mistake to simply post a message or question and never visit that thread of messages again because you'll miss out on the opportunities to interact with other members of the community. By taking the time to follow the threads and answer questions or add remarks to other members, your signature including your website URL, will appear again and again, thereby increasing the possibility that folks will click on it to find out more about you and your website. As you become well known in the forums, it is much more likely that people will be receptive to the messages you post and in turn will click your link to check out your website.

How to Put a YouTube Link in PowerPoint

If you use PowerPoint to create presentations, you can choose to insert objects into your slides such as charts or hyperlinks. If you want use a YouTube video as part of your presentation, you can easily insert a hyperlink to the video. You must be connected to the Internet when giving your presentation in order to access the video, but after you insert the link you can simply click it during a presentation to share the video.

Instructions

Go to Youtube.com and copy the link you want to insert into PowerPoint.

Open the PowerPoint presentation that you want to insert a YouTube link into.

Select the slide you want to add the link to and click the "Insert" tab from the toolbar at the top of the page.

Click the "Hyperlink" button from the "Links" section of the "Insert" menu that opens.

Select "Existing File or Web Page" under "Link To" in the box that opens.

Right-click over the "Address" bar and select "Paste." Under "Text to display" type a name for the video or leave it blank if you want to display the entire link in the presentation.

Click "OK." The YouTube link will appear on your PowerPoint slide.

How to See How Many Daily Hits a Web Page Receives

A "hit" is a number that indicates how many times people have navigated to your Web page, so this is essential information for knowing how your website is performing. Further, you can track certain pages on a site to see which ones are the best received and find those that may need work. Whether you are a Web page creator or are just curious about how certain Internet sites are doing, you can easily see how many daily hits a Web page receives.

Instructions

Access a Web daily hit counter such as 123count.com, onestatfree.com, seehits.com or Google Analytics (see References and Resources). Sign up for a new account with your chosen provider by clicking the "Register," "New Account" or "Access Analytics" button, and fill in the required information, such as the website address, when prompted.

Click the "Add new profile" link in Google Analytics, enter the URL of your page address and then copy the code that automatically appears. With onestatfree.com and seehits.com, check your email so that you can get this code. If using123count.com, simply log in to your account to get the information. This code is what tracks the daily hits to your website and is used in the next step.

Launch an HTML text editor, and open all of the Web pages that you want to monitor. Paste the code from the preceding step before the closing "" tag of each page unless otherwise instructed by the provider. Save your files, and place them on your Web host to make the counter active.

Log in to your Google Analytics account page (if applicable), click the "Dashboard" section and then click the "Visitors" link on the left to see your daily hits. With 123count.com, click the "Check Stats" button to get this information, and with the other providers, simply log in to your account.

Access a daily counter site such as cubestat.com or statbrain.com (see Resources).

Type the Web address in the "Enter website" or "Enter URL" text field, and then click the "Check" button.

View the daily hits listed under the "Estimated Data" section for cubestat.com and "Visitors" section for statbrain.com to get an approximation of the site's performance.

How to Make Money Playing Computer Games

You can make money playing both online and offline computer games. Casual gamers can make a little extra pocket change at games they enjoy playing. More serious gamers can make a full-time income from competitive games. There are many different computer games you can make money playing, including the online versions of popular card and board games and action-packed player vs. player (PvP) games.

Instructions

Check the system requirements of the games you wish to play. Upgrade your computer or purchase a new gaming computer, if necessary. For more serious gaming, you may need a very fast graphics card with its own on-board memory, a sound card with 3D capability, a joystick and a set of two or more sophisticated speakers with a subwoofer. You also may need to upgrade your CPU and RAM.

Obtain software for games that are inexpensive or free to play. Sign up for an online account if the game is online. Play the games regularly. Work specifically on advancing your character's skills within the game, as well as your own personal gaming skills.

Use the free Google AdWords Keyword Tool to see which games are searched most often. Write product reviews and tutorials about the games you play on sites that pay for articles. Also look for writing sites that pay a share of ad revenue. Write a title that's optimized for search engines, and make sure that the density of the primary keywords in the title is about 3 percent. Write a significant quantity of articles that offer helpful tips to the reader. You can also place your articles on your own website or blog if you prefer, then monetize it with Web advertising.

Check websites that allow you to compete for cash prizes. Sites that pay cash for gaming include MSN Games, Gamesville and iWin.com. Play games such as Solitaire, Spades, Bejeweled 2 and Dynomite.

Become a professional gamer when you become an expert at high-action games, such as Quake, Gears of War, Mortal Kombat and Unreal Tournament. Check the game manufacturer's website for information about upcoming tournaments in which you can compete with other gamers. Favor tournaments with prizes over $1,000. At first, compete in tournaments that are close to home or online to keep your costs down.

Play the games you've chosen regularly. Play the games very seriously, between eight and 12 hours per day, just before a tournament. Upgrade your computer hardware and software again to gain an edge over other gamers in the tournament.

How to Edit an Internet Article

Editing Internet articles should be about the money. When you think of it that way, it becomes easier. Sure, you can have fun publishing for free on certain sites. But even publishing there should direct readers to pieces you can make money on. So if you are looking to make more money on your blog or just want to begin a good and lucrative, career, then this guide on editing for higher payments is for you.

Instructions

Develop the piece quickly. The first step is about time. You will need plenty of ideas for your Internet articles. You usually wont get paid a lot unless this is web copy-writing. However, you can make good money doing this. Editing comes second; first complete the article quickly.

Focus on keywords. I have written before on keywords, which are paramount in SEO or other forms of online writing. This will be the core of your editing process. You want your piece to sound just right but also have plenty of searchable keywords and keyword phrases. If you can write an article with two five to ten keyword sets or more, you will be making money.

Edit the length. The basic Internet article rarely pushes 1,000 words. And if the article gets that high, something is wrong with the piece. Internet readers will typically scan through your article. This isnt a five-page essay for schoolan online article is meant to entertain in a short amount of time. So try to keep your articles below 800 words. You can have success with longer articles, but you make more writing several shorter, 400 to 600 word articles. Remember, we are thinking of money here first, not winning awards.

Edit for the site. Every site has its own style. In fact, some sites prefer longer pieces. Its not out of place for an interview to hit 2,000 words or a book review to go past 1,200. Thats a different kind of online writing, with a different style. However, the point here is each site is different. You will need to see what sells. A good strategy is to ask published writers; they can point you in the right direction. Focus on whether or not your original article will sell there; if it wont try somewhere else and write a different article for this particular site.

Use links. Lastly, depending on what you are writing, try to be good with your links. Most online writers have blogs, for example, and blogs can bring you in money writing everything you want to write. I write for book review sites and have a book review blog, so I always point readers to my sites.

How to Determine a URL for a Website

URL is an acronym for Uniform Resource Locator. The terms URL and domain name are used interchangeably. Factors that create a user-friendly URL are the length of the URL, hyphenation and mixture of words and numbers. If a URL is too long, people will have difficulty remembering it. Adding hyphens between words often helps users read the domain name easier, allowing them to commit it to memory. Using numbers at the beginning or end of a URL will make the name easier to remember.

Instructions

Open your web browser and visit www.nameboy.com (see link in References below).

Enter your primary and secondary keywords that describe your website. Also check the box that says allow hyphens.

Click the button labeled "Go Nameboy Go."

Choose the name you like best from the list of available URLs suggested by Nameboy.

How to Save Tweets in a List

Using Twitter is a quick way to read news, connect with others, and keep up with world events in real-time without the delay of news reporting or television. Various applications and software programs are available to download for free to use with Twitter. These programs range from "tweeting" directly from your own desktop to saving tweets to lists for reading at a later time (or for saving a favorite post or link).

Instructions

Visit the Archivist Desktop's official website to download the software to your computer's hard drive (see Resources).

Click "Download Now" to save the file to your computer. Once the file has completely downloaded, double-click to install the application to your computer. After the installation is complete, you are ready to use the Archivist Desktop.

Open the Archivist Desktop and log in using your Twitter username and password. From the application, you can browse and view your own tweets to save and store on your computer while browsing and searching all of Twitter to save useful information, links and tweets from others.

Visit the official Twapper Keeper website (see Resources) and log in using your Twitter username and password by selecting "Sign in with Twitter" from the homepage, allowing Twapper Keeper to connect with your personal Twitter account.

Select "Create a Hashtag Archive" from the homepage to begin storing tweets based on the "hashtag" used when the tweets are sent publicly. Enter keywords you would like to track.

Save the archive list from Twapper Keeper's website to set it to your Twitter account. Once you create a hashtag archive, any tweets using that hashtag will then be stored within your Twapper Keeper hashtag archive. You can make as many lists as you like.

Open your Internet browser and visit Tweetake's official website (see Resources) to connect your current Twitter username and account with the Tweetake service.

Select "Click here to sign in safely via Twitter" to connect your Twitter account to Tweetake directly from the homepage. Once you allow Tweetake to access your Twitter, your tweets and followers will be saved periodically.

Visit Tweetake to connect to your backed-up followers and past tweets any time you are looking for a specific Twitter user or previous tweet by you.

How to Put an Affiliate ID on a Website

For those website owners looking to make money online, affiliate marketing is one way to make it happen. Affiliate Marketing is an arrangement where a product owner pays a commission to the affiliate marketer on the sales generated by the affiliate. If you want to make money online without having to create your own product, affiliate marketing is the quickest way to do it. When you sign up as an affiliate, you receive a unique identifier called an "Affiliate Link." Every time someone clicks on a link with your affiliate identification embedded within it and purchases the product, you get a commission. Promote as many products as you want, in as many markets as you want.

Instructions

Open an affiliate account. Choose the company and the products you would like to represent and sign up as an affiliate. In most cases, the sign-up is done directly from the company's website through the "Affiliates" page. Join a plethora of affiliate programs through affiliate networks such as Commission Junction, ClickBank and LinkShare. Each site requires you to choose a user name and password for accessing your affiliate account.

Obtain your login details and sign in into your affiliate account. Choose the product you want to promote on your website. Follow the instructions given and copy your affiliate link for the product. Many product owners also provide affiliate banner images. If you'd like to use the product banner image on your website, right-click the banner image and select "Save As" and save the image to a folder on your computer.

Log in to your Web host's "Control Panel." Click on "Upload" if you are also using an affiliate banner image. Browse and find the image where you saved it on your computer. Click on "Upload" again to finish uploading the banner image to your Web host.

Select the "File Directory" link within your "Control Panel."

Select the "Edit" option for the page in which you to insert the affiliate link or product URL. The page's HTML editor will open.

Put the affiliate URL in the HTML editor. Use the following HTML code to insert the affiliate link.

Product name or enter text here. This tells your website visitor what he is clicking on.

Use the following code to insert a banner image.

Click "Save" and then "Publish" to save and reflect the changes you made to your website.

How to Make Smiley Faces for Facebook

Smiley faces are a great way to express yourself on Facebook. Add a little personality to your messages, make sure readers understand that you're being sarcastic, or express amusement over a friend's joke. Whether you're feeling elated, overjoyed, goofy or downright jolly, express it with a digital smile. Smiley faces dress up and animate ideas, give readers something to look at other than text, and are easy to make with a few easy keystrokes.

Instructions

Write a sentence to accompany your smiley face. The best place for a smiley face is near an expression of happiness, next to a funny story, or by a joke.

Choose the smiley face that you want to use from the following options:
Happy :) - Colon followed by a parentheses
Very happy =) - Equals sign followed by a parentheses
Grinning :D - Colon followed by an uppercase "D"
Cat smiling ^_^ - Shift and press six, underscore, Shift and press six
Wink smile ;) - Semicolon followed by a parentheses
Goofy smile 8) - Eight followed by a parentheses
Tongue sticking out :p - Colon followed by a lowercase "p"
Smiling devil 3:) - Three followed by a colon and parentheses
Smiling angel 0:) - Zero followed by a colon and parentheses

Insert the smiley face two spaces behind the period following the appropriate sentence. Here is an example of how to incorporate a smiley face into text naturally: "I had the best time at the fair. :) All my friends showed up."

Add a nose to any of the smiley faces by inserting a dash in between the eyes and mouth, modifying the smiley face to look like the following examples:
Happy :-)
Very happy =-)
Grinning :-D
Wink smile ;-)
Goofy smile 8-)
Tongue sticking out :-p
Smiling devil 3:-)
Smiling angel 0:-)

Enter the symbols to show a variety of other emotions as well. For example placing a less than sign (<) prior to the numeric three (3) will allow you create the symbol of heart (<3) and similarly placing a slash (/) between < and 3 will denote broken heart ( 6

Enter two spaces after the smiley face and before beginning the next sentence.

How to Left, Right, Center Align With CSS

Instead of using HTML alignment attributes with the HTML tags that markup text, the best practice for web designers is to move the presentation (alignment options) information to the stylesheet. This article will explain how to align text and how to center larger page elements such as divs.

Instructions

To align text within a normal block of text such as a paragraph or a blockquote, use the text-align property.

The value choices for the test-align property are left, right, center and justify. Since justified text is not very readable on the Web, the illustration only shows left, right and center. In this illustration, each paragraph has a black border to demonstrate the size of the block element on the page if no set width is applied to the element.

Normally an element is assigned to an id or class. The text alignment of any items in that id or class is set with a rule such as one of these:

left
text-align: left;

right
text-align: right;

center
text-align: center;

You may want to center an entire layout or a large division of a layout. In such cases you use a different CSS technique.

You apply the CSS rule to the larger element selector you want centered. It might be the body element, a wrapper div or a container div.

Centering by this method does not affect text alignment. The centered element will retain the default left alignment of text within the centered element.

The following is an illustration of an entire body element (with a black border for clarification purposes) centered on a page. A width must be set for the element, then the left and right margins are set to auto. Here's how:

body
width: 80%;
margin-right: auto;
margin-left: auto;
border: 1px solid black;

How to Use LinkedIn for a Job Search

LinkedIn is a tool that not only allows individuals to reconnect with past and present colleagues and classmates, but it is also a means to search for job openings and receive advice from industry experts. While being a member of LinkedIn does not guarantee that you will find a job, it provides a way to reach out to a larger number of potential employers and use your connections as a way to gain an interview.

Instructions

Create a profile. Go to LinkedIn's website and create a free profile. Be sure to enter as much specific information as possible; the more detailed you are, the more likely it is your profile will be read by potential employers.

Upload a photograph. The photograph should be a headshot that represents you as a professional. Since this photograph will be the employer's first impression of you, consider looking as you would at an interview.

Complete the professional summary section. Use this section to highlight your experience. Do not include your full resume here, just brief information such as skills and accomplishments.

Adjust the contact settings. Let employers know that you are available to contact by selecting the "career opportunities" option.

Provide links to your website. If you have a website or blog for a portfolio that would be beneficial for employers to see, then include this information in the Links section of the profile.

Make your profile public. Go to the privacy section and ensure that your profile is viewable to the public.

Change your profile's URL. Customize your LinkedIn profile's URL so that it is easier to share.

Add members to your network. Search for connections that you have worked with, done business with, went to school with or otherwise know. The more connections you have, the more opportunities that will be available to you. This can quickly be done by importing your address book from your email provider, such as Hotmail or Gmail.

Ask for recommendations. Request previous employers and coworkers to add a recommendation to your profile. The more strong recommendations you have, the more likely you will be selected for an interview.

Search for jobs. Click on the "Jobs" link in the top menu and then "Find Job." You can search for open positions by entering a job title, keyword or company name. Keep a lookout if any of your connections work for the companies you are interested in, as they can recommend you to their employers.

Better Ways to Search With PHP & MySQL Word Keys

Search functions are both essential and significant for websites. You need to give visitors abilities to search for products or articles by typing keywords. Visitors enter one or multiple keywords in the search box, and you need to develop an SQL query to handle the searches. The ways of constructing the SQL query in MySQL will affect the keyword searches. To better perform keyword search functions, there are various SQL query techniques involved.

For exact keyword searches, you need to create queries using simple where conditions: Select * from sales Where MATCH(title, body) AGAINST (PHP)
You also need to remove the blank space from left and right of the search string via Itrim and rtrim functions:
$search_text=ltrim($search_text);
$search_text=rtrim($search_text);

For any where match, you need to read the search term and break it into array of keywords using split command. Then search through each term. The PHP code for this function is as follows:
$keyword=split(" ",$search_text);
while(list($key,$val)=each($keyword))
if($val<>" " and strlen($val) > 0)$q .= " name like '%$val%' or ";

Boolean Search enables users to narrow their results via using Boolean operators, such as AND, OR, XOR and other operators. To use Boolean mode, you should add IN BOOLEAN MODE to the end of the SQL query: Select * from sales Where MATCH(title, body) AGAINST (PHP IN BOOLEAN MODE)
You can even build more advanced search regarding keyword PHP via plus or minus sign:
Select * from sales Where MATCH(title, body) AGAINST (+PHP-MySQL IN BOOLEAN MODE)
Here the plus sign shows that this word must be present in every returned text, whereas the minus sign indicates that this word shouldnt appear in the returned text.

A query expansion search is a modification of a natural language search. The search string is used to perform a natural language search. The words returned by the search are added to the search string and the search is conducted again. The query returns the results from the second search. To create query expansion search, you need to add WITH QUERY EXPANSION or IN NATURAL LANGUAGE MODE WITH QUERY EXPANSION to the search statements:
Select * from sales Where MATCH(title, body) AGAINST (PHP WITH QUERY EXPANSION)

How to Search a Site for a Keyword

Searching within a specific website can sometimes be the most effective way to research a topic. For example, a certain music site may be a valuable source of guitar information. Rather than searching the whole Internet for "guitar," you can search that site instead. This type of Web research eliminates thousands or millions of search results you might normally have to review. Many major search engines allow you to confine your keyword searches to specific sites.

Instructions

Visit the home page of a search site such as Bing, Google or Yahoo.

Enter the following query into the page's search box:

myQuery site:targetSite.com

Replace "myQuery" with your keyword. Replace "targetSite.com" with the site you wish to search. For instance, to search for the keyword "money" at the Whitehouse website, type the following in the search box, without the quotation marks: "money site:whitehouse.gov". Include at least one space after the keyword. You can omit the "http://www." part of the URL and simply enter the domain name portion as shown above.

Press "Enter." The search engine will search the designated site for your keyword. Results appear in the standard search results list.

Scan through the results and review the short descriptions for the items in the list. Your keyword appears in bold in these descriptions.

Click one of the search results to view the Web page associated with those results.

How to Make a Mobipocket Book

If you've written a book that needs to get out there, then choosing to make and distribute an ebook with Mobipocket is a great way to get it done. A Mobipocket book can be read on many kinds of cellphones, PDAs, smartphones and computers. You can sell your book, or make it available as a free download. There are many ways to make a Mobipocket book, but only one that is simple and easy to learn.

Instructions

Prepare your document in your word processing program. Make sure you are using a standard page layout and page numbering. Include a table of contents, index (if needed) and have the first page of your document be the cover illustration of your book. Save the file.

Become a registered Mobipocket publisher by going to Mobipocket.com and scrolling down to the "publisher" section on the left side of your screen, and clicking on the "Welcome Page" selection.

Click on "Apply" from the menu on the left side of the screen, fill out your personal information, and click "send." When your confirmation email arrives, click on the link to activate your account. Once you have done this, you can download your free copy of Mobipocket.com's Creator Home Edition and install this on your computer.

Open the Creator Home Edition and select "New Project," enter a title, description and search keywords and then import the file you created in your word processing program.

Select "Create Book." When the program is done creating the PDF, open and review it carefully. Most likely, there will be layout changes between your original document and the PDF file because PDF files are images and not data files. Make note of changes, and then open your file in the Creator program and make adjustments. "Create" the book again and review it until you are satisfied that the PDF matches your vision of your book.

Log back into the Mobipocket.com publisher section and select "Add Title." Fill out the required information, such as title, author, publisher, page length, description and keywords. Upload the final file you made with Creator Home edition, and click on "Submit." Once the file is uploaded, do not select "Publish" yet. Download the file and view it again, and make sure that the finished project matches your original. When it does, return to Mobipocket and select "Publish."

How to Find a Job As a Security Officer in Iraq

Working as a security officer in Iraq is no easy task. A person desiring a job such as this must be in excellent physical condition, proficient with several types of weapons and willing to work in an environment that isn't always safe. The risk can be well worth the reward, though, as individuals with these jobs make roughly $100,000 a year.

Instructions

Log onto the USA Jobs website. Here you will find government security officer jobs in Iraq. Use the text boxes under the "Search Jobs" heading to search for security officer jobs in Iraq. Type in "security officer" in the "Job Title, Keywords" box and "Iraq" in the "Where" text box. Click the "Search" tab and any security officer jobs listed on the website will appear. Scroll through each page of available jobs---the jobs are listed by date. You can also add your resume to the website. Doing so allows employers to find you.

Check the Clearance Jobs website. Click the "Advanced Search" link in the "Quick Job Search" box on the left side of the home page. On the next page, type "security officer" in the "Keywords" box and select "Iraq" in the "Countries" box. Click the "Perform Search" tab at the bottom of the screen and you will find numerous job listings.

Visit the All Iraq Jobs website. This website is similar to Craig's List in that the website lists advertisements for jobs. Simply type "security officer" in the "Keywords" text box at the top of the home page. Click the "Search" tab and you will find different jobs advertised. Select one of the advertisements to read a brief job description. You need to create an account with All Iraq Jobs in order to learn how to apply for a job. Registration is free.

Use regular online job sites as a way to find security officer jobs in Iraq. Websites like Monster, Yahoo HotJobs and Career Builder can help you locate jobs. It is incredibly easy to find jobs in Iraq on all three websites. Unfortunately, you can't search by location. Log onto the home page of these websites and enter "security Iraq" in the keywords portion. Make sure that the location text box is left blank. Search for jobs and you will find pages of job postings. There will be positions other than security jobs listed so you will need to browse through each page to find every security officer position listed.

Contact EOD Technology. EOD is a civilian company that offers security (and other positions) to individuals searching for jobs in what the company labels "hostile environments." EOD works with both governmental and non-governmental corporations so the qualifications for security jobs differ per assignment. To learn more about job openings and qualifications, contact EOD at (865) 988-6063. You can also email your resume to the company at resumes@eodt.com.

How to Find Computer Gigs on Craigslist

Craigslist is an easy place to find computer gigs. It's an online free classified ads site that allows users to post anything from job offers to free furniture. The "Gigs" section of Craigslist mostly caters to people looking for one-time or contractual work, which often includes computer gigs. Here's how to find a computer gig on Craigslist.

Instructions

Visit Craigslist. Many computer jobs can be done as telecommuting, so it isn't necessary to select your region first.

Look under the "Gigs" heading for computer jobs that you find compelling. When you find one that you are qualified for and that looks interesting, contact the contractor through Craigslist or through any contact information they give.

Apply to many gigs at once because they are almost always contractual and very rarely will they prohibit you from working on multiple gigs at a time.

Before accepting a job or beginning work, ask for a phone number where the employer can be reached or a business address. This will help you confirm that the job is not a scam.

Save all email correspondence and get the contract in writing before you actually begin work for the computer gig.

Use Craigslist's guidelines to avoiding scams and frauds to help you avoid potential scam artists. Report anybody who has burned you.

How to Convert Third Party Excel Files to Microsoft adCenter Excel Files

Microsoft adCenter is a pay-per-click service that allows you to advertise on the Bing search engine. AdCenter allows you to target specific keywords, so that whenever a person types in one of those keywords, your ad appears and it charges you a specific amount. If you are running multiple online campaigns, you may find it helpful to import your campaigns from other pay-per-click search engines, like Google Adwords or Yahoo Search Marketing, using a third-party Excel file in comma separate value (CSV) format.

Instructions

Export your campaign from Google Adwords by opening the Adwords editor and highlighting the campaign that you wish to convert to Microsoft adCenter. Click on "File" and scroll down to "Export Spreadsheet (CSV)." Click on "Export Current Campaign" and save the file to your desktop using a name that you can remember.

Export a campaign from Yahoo Search Marketing by opening your browser and logging into Yahoo Search Marketing. Scroll to the bottom of the screen and click on the campaign that you wish to export. Click on the "Download Campaign" button in the top, right corner of the screen.

Ensure that there is a bubble next to "As CSV" and that "Include Keywords," "Include Ads" and "Exclude Deleted Components" are all checked. Click "Continue" and save this file to your desktop, using a name that is easy to identify.

Log into Microsoft adCenter using your user name and password. Click on "Create Campaign" on the left-hand side. Fill in your ad group settings, ad group targeting and ad group exclusions. Click on "Next."

Click on the "More" tab and select "Import Ads." Click on the blue text that says "CSV template" in the import ads box that appears. Save the file on your desktop using a name that is easily recognizable. Open the file.

Open up the exported campaign from either Adwords or Yahoo Search Marketing. Transfer the required information from these templates into the correct place on the adCenter template. Save the adCenter template as a new file by clicking "File" and "Save As," using a name that is easy to identify and ensuring that it saves as a CSV file.

Switch back to Microsoft adCenter in your browser and click on "Browse." Click the "Desktop" icon on the left side of the window and find the CSV file that you just saved. Highlight it and then click "Open."

How to View Resumes on Craigslist

Craigslist is an excellent and free resource for employers seeking candidates to hire. The hundreds of resumes posted to Craigslist each day can be viewed by anyone. Nearly every industry is represented. You're sure to find a great candidate. Follow these steps take advantage of Craigslist.

Instructions

Open Craigslist on your browser and then choose your location. Select your state from the list of on the right. After that, choose the city. If your city is not listed, choose the nearest one.

View resumes. Scan the headings to find the link for "Resumes." This is in bold and is followed by the number of postings in parentheses. Click the link.

Browse the resumes. You're likely to find a long list of resumes posted.

Search within the resumes. At the top of the resumes page there's a search field. Type in a keyword for the type of resume you're looking for to narrow your search.

Search all of Craigslist. Go back to the main Craigslist page and enter your keyword into the main search field. This will do a national search.

View details. If you find a heading that interests you, click their link to view the details. Here you'll find the full resume as well as contact information in case you're interested.

How to Get Started in Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate marketing, also known as performance marketing, is a legitimate way to make money online through an affiliate relationship with retailers. The Performance Marketing Association defines affiliate marketing as advertising programs through which retailers pay you when a consumer on your website completes a specific action, such as downloading an eBook, purchasing a product or filling out a lead capture form. Before you start out in affiliate marketing, learn the basics to set a solid foundation for what could become a very lucrative business.

Instructions

Create a website that looks professional. Customers will not purchase anything from you if your site does not look reputable, so make sure that you pay attention to all of the details, including photos, spelling, use of color and ease of navigation. Some affiliates, such as eBay.com, will not take you on as an affiliate unless and until they approve of your website, so professionalism here is of the utmost importance. If you do not have the resources to build a website, look to article-writing sites that will allow you to post stand-alone articles that sell affiliate products in exchange for a share of the profits.

Populate your website with content that is relevant to the products you plan on selling, with the goal of making your site an authority on the subject. Professional affiliate marketer Kharim Tomlinson calls content the "life blood" of your website, and recommends that you make it your highest priority. Hire a freelance writer to create the content if your writing skills are not up to snuff. Make sure you have a good mix of content that educates and content that sells the products.

Use on-page and off-page search optimization to gain traffic. In the affiliate marketing game, traffic is money, and the best way to get significant traffic is to rank highly in the search engines. Learn specifically about keyword research, selection and use, how to gain backlinks to your site, how to structure a page of content properly and how to use social marketing effectively.

Join affiliate companies such as CommissionJunction.com, ShareASale.com and LinkShare.com. These companies act as a third party between the affiliate marketers and the retailers. If you want to sell Spiegel products on your site, for instance, you would first join LinkShare.com and apply to become a Spiegal affiliate through the site. Check back with the sites often, as new retailers enter the affiliate game frequently.

Populate your site with ads. Use relevant advertisements, and try to give your readers options with a good mix of products and prices. Be sure to check your site often to make sure all of the products are current, or learn how to use datafeeds to automatically populate your website with up-to-date products and ads.

Open a Paypal.com account. While some retailers will mail paper checks or pay through direct deposit into your bank account, many of them prefer to make payments through Paypal. If you do not have an account there, you could find yourself with no way to receive payment.

How to Make Your Own MSN Chat Bot

A chatbot is a computer program built on an instant-messaging program that is supposed to mimic talking to a live person. This is known as Artificial Conversational Entities, and are sometimes referred to as a talk bot. They can be used for online help, personalized service or finding information that a user is looking for. Chat bots scan queries or responses from humans for key words and respond based on that. Building one for MSN is can be done in just a few steps.

Instructions

Join RunABot.com, which actually allows you to work on the bot and build it as you see fit. Register with the website, then confirm your information that's sent in the email.

Go to RunABot.com's site and click on the link that says "Control Panel." Log into the account and then click on "Configure Your Bot."

Set up the box by inputting the screen name and your own MSN screen name, then check the MSN Owner box.

Sign your bot online by clicking the "Sign Bot on MSN" link. Enter your MSN password for the chat bot, click "Save Password" and sign on to MSN.

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